‘Rescue 1122 responded to 12,633 emergencies in nine months’

Divisional Emergency Officer shares report.

BAHAWALPUR:

Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) responded to 12,633 emergency calls in the first nine months of 2012, it was reported on Friday.

Divisional Emergency Officer Malik Asif Rahim Channar presented the performance of the Rescue 1122 Bahawalpur Control Room. He said the response time averaged at 6.32 minutes.

He said they received a total of 385,379 phone calls.

He said the emergencies responded to included 3,401 road traffic accidents, 228 fire incidents, 501 violent quarrels, 8,389 medical emergencies and 30 drowning incidents.

There were 71 special rescue operations. He said 12,654 people were rescued, amongst which 2,831 were given first aid while 9,823 were taken to hospital.

He said the water rescue team had conducted a flood rescue and relief operation in the flood affected areas of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Rojhan and Fazilpur, during which 5,472 people were shifted to safe places. 1,100 of these were given first aid. During the operation, 450 camps were established for the temporary residence of people and provided medicines and food while 18,000 litres of clean water was distributed.

Basic life support and disaster management training programmes were also arranged with the cooperation of the Welfare Department, civil society, educational institutes and government and semi-government departments.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2012.